In the hall, on the mountain
by SailorYue
Summary: Canon divergence, blatantly ignoring a certain part of s3, Jim wins tickets to see Peer Gynt, decides he wants to take Nomura to see it. Claire and Draal come too. Cute little fluff and stuff.


Been working on this a while. Originally it was just going ro be a short piece where Jim takes Nomura to see Peer Gynt, but I'm still pissed at the end of the season and decided to ignore Draals death. Yes, he survived and found his way to the trolls. He is blatantly alive in here. I dont care about canon. So now enjoy this cute little double date where Draal, Nomura, Jim and Claire go to a performance

...

."Jim!" Claire ran over to her boyfriend, with a package in her hand. "They arrived!"

"The stuff? Which one?" He turned to her.

"Both!" She grinned, handing him a box and envelope.

The envelope was addressed to Claire, but the box was addressed to him.

"That's great! Do you think you can get them set up in time?"

Claire tore open the box. "I think so, Mr Strickler included the instructions on how to use these, so we don't need to ask for help from Blinky or Merlin."

She read the hand written instructions, looking back in the box. "Yeah, shouldn't take too long. It was simple enough to program the one we used when you were in the Darklands."

"That's great! I know you can do it." Jim kissed Claire on the cheek. "I'm gonna go train a bit, call me when they're ready.

Soon his plan was ready. He searched for the one person he was looking for and found her; sharpening her scimitars.

"Nomura, can I talk with you?"

She put her scimitar in its holster attached to her back.

"What do you need, Little Gynt?"

Jim smiled, he liked her nickname for him.

"I actually have something for you."

He handed her a wooden mask and a small slip of paper. She looked at them confused for a moment.

"What do I need with a glamour mask?" Then she realized what the small slip of paper was. "A theater ticket... For a performance of Peer Gynt?"

She was taken aback. She looked at Jim, green eyes filled with confusion as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Claire won a couple tickets in a radio contest, and I've been curious to see it since you told me about it in the darklands."

Nomura went to hand the ticket back to him.

"Then you should take your girlfriend to see it."

Jim shook his head. "I am. Claire pulled some strings to exchange the two tickets she had for four balcony seats."

Nomura crossed her arms. "Four? Who else is coming?"

Jim gave a sheepish, toothy grin. "Draal. Claire's talking to him now."

That was definitely the last name she expected to hear.

"Why Draal?" She asked.

"Well it might have to do with the whole near death experience he had. He seems more curious than anything about the human world."

"You're a lousy liar, Little Gynt." Nomura said, narrowing her eyes.

Come nightfall on the night of the concert, they were all getting ready. Jim looked at his now human hands. It seemed almost years since he saw his flesh human, even tho it was only a couple of months since he faced Gunmar. The glamour worked well, tho he still retained some of his taller height. He fixed his suit, tho his tie was still undone. Claire giggled as she came to help him fix it. He gave a smile in return.

Nomura entered the room, in human form thanks to the glamour. Her dress, pink as always, tho a more darkish red; similar to her dress she wears in troll form.

"You look beautiful Miss Nomura." Claire commented as she finished with Jim's tie.

"Thank you, child." Nomura tucked a stray strand of her now short hair behind her ear.

A fourth person entered the room, drawing attention to the others.

"This just doesn't feel right." The figure of Coach Lawrence looked at his hands.

"Is that you Draal?" Nomura asked, tilting her head. "I think I prefer your troll form over that."

He ran a hand over the back of his head, frowning at the fact that he could not feel his horns.

"I do too. Why am I looking like this fleshbag again?" He asked Jim and Claire.

"Unfortunately the glamour masks can't create forms out of nothing, so I had to model the glamour after a real person, and Coach Lawrence seemed the closest match, and easiest to set that mask for."

Draal frowned and let out a huff, crossing his arms.

"I do not like this idea"

"Well it's the only way we can go out in public." Jim said, putting the amulet into his pocket. "Besides, it's only for tonight."

The four watched the concert from their private balcony. They were the only ones there, but for safety the three trolls kept their glamours on for the duration. Draal did not really understand the fascination with the music, but he wanted to see what the big deal was. He looked over at Jim and Claire, both watching the performance, his arm draped over her shoulders. As the music started a very familiar tune, he looked over at Nomura.

She seemed utterly enthralled. She was lost to the music, oblivious to her surroundings. She moved her hand in time with the song, one he had heard her hum and whistle countless times. One he knew held great meaning to her.

As the song ended, the audience applause seemed to break the spell.

"Are you staring at me, Draal?" Nomura whispered as the next song started.

He looked away, tenting his fingers in nervousness.

"No, of course not. I'm just enjoying the music."

She chuckled quietly and went back to watching the performance.

Draal ran a hand over his face. Why In Deya's name was he so nervous?

It wasn't long before the show was over and the group left. They were well outside the city limits, so Jim slipped off his mask; his flesh gave way to the deep blue stone like flesh, horns reappearing on his head. Claire smiled up at him as he created to full height. He smiled back.

Claire looked over her shoulder and paused.

"Jim, I think we lost Miss Nomura and Draal."

"Huh. Seems we did."

Jim didn't seem to worried tho, as he placed his hands behind his head. He took a deep breath of the forest of the night. One of the perks of being part troll was the enhanced senses. Now he understood why Arrrgh had to smell everything after being cured of that poison.

"You're not worried?"

Jim shook his head with a grin. "Nah. They're both grown trolls. They know to be back by sunrise."

Claire gave her boyfriend a skeptical look. She wondered if there was something more to this evening, other than enjoying a concert. Before she could ask tho, Jim turned to her with a devious grin.

"Come on! There's something I want to try!" And he took her hand.

Nomura and Draal meanwhile were in a deeper part of the woods. They walked towards a cliff that overlooked the nearby city. Nomura and Draal had long since ditched their masks as they were in seclusion. The clouds that muted the moons glow gave way and bathed the two in its soft blue white glow. Draal found himself frozen as the light mixed with the tones of Nomura's unusual pink coloring. Her flesh always had an odd sheen to it, but under the moons glow, it did something both natural and unnatural; it was almost as if she herself glowed with an inner heartstone of her own.

"You're staring again." Nomura muttered, looking over at Draal with emerald green eyes.

Draal snapped himself out of his trance.

"Sorry" he gave a toothy grin. "The moon seems... Nice tonight..."

Nomura quirked an eyebrow at the awkwardness of his statement.

"And just where did you hear such a corney line?" She crossed her arms staring at him.

Draal cleared his throat. "Sorry. I had heard Jim say it to Claire one time. "

"And you just thought you should test it on me?" She shook her head. "Atleast it's not the worst thing you've said to me."

Draal frowned. "I'm not entirely at fault for that, I'll have you know."

"Of course not. It was just a silly gummgumm charm that made you say all that."

She shifted her position, shaking her head. "What ever happened to that thing anyways?"

Draal looked away, twiddling his fingers a little. "It got lost when I lent it to the trollhunter."

"Little Gynt used it?"

"Yes, he wanted help to be able to not be afraid around his girlfriend. My understanding it did not go as planned. The grit shakka was lost during a confrontation with Bular."

Nomura nodded, turning to look over the city. "I had wondered why the trollhunter would openly challenge Bular like that. Now I know."

She gave a chuckle, shaking her head.

"Well if he acted any way you did, she's certainly more forgiving than I ever was."

Draal grinned sheepishly as Nomura turned back to the view.

"What are we doing here Draal?" She asked softly. Draal moved closer.

"Enjoying the view?" He answered with a gesture to the city down below. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, arms gripping her shoulders.

"Not that... I mean, what are WE doing. This whole evening couldn't have just been you wanting to enjoy a performance that I enjoyed when I was younger. What... IS this?"

Draal looked over the city, remembering that hundreds of years ago City's were always dark and quiet. He was never one to pay attention to humanity. Now, after spending months living in Jim's home, in their city, he realizes that humans have adapted to be always moving, always changing. Trolls don't change too often, they can, but it takes effort as well as time.

"I'm not sure. But I do know, that I have been given a second chance. One I gladly take and hope to enjoy life fully."

He looked over at Nomura.

"There are other things I wish to enjoy a second chance with." He murmured.

She gave paused. "What, us?"

She looked over at him. He had sat down next to her, and he was now closer to her height. He gave a slight nod, face serious.

"I dont even know if that could happen Draal. I AM a changeling. You you think i dont hear the whispers from the other trolls? Changelings are the last people they would trust."

Draal gestured, waving the claim away. "I said it before, and I shall say it again. I do not care what others say, I am my own troll and I can be with whomever I want. You would have been welcome to stay in my cave, no matter what anyone would have said."

Nomura chuckled. "It's a nice gesture. But it wouldnt have worked back then. I would have had to stay in trollmarket indefinitely, and I'm not one to stay put. Plus I had learned too long ago that hiding never works. Eventually Bular..."

"Bular is gone, as is Gunmar! The war is over. We won. There is nothing TO hide from anymore."

Nomura looked away, eyes misty, knowing he had a point, but too stubborn to admit it.

"The offer still stands. And if any troll has a problem with you, I will personally deal with them. You have friends now."

Nomura turned her head looking at the stars and glowing moon.

"Friendship is a very foreign concept to a changeling. We are raised with only two feelings: fear and servitude. A changeling doesn't understand things like friendship. Hope. A family." The last word came out softer than she meant. "Tho thanks to little Gynt, I suppose I can try to learn."

She sat next to Draal, leaning against his arm.

"We can continue this discussion later. It's tiring. Lets enjoy the view before sunrise." She mumbled.

Draal chuckled, looking down at her. "Yes, the view is nice."

...

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